Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express Review

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"A Great Everyday Cash-Back Card"

The card offers 2% cash-back at U.S. gas stations and select U.S. department stores and 3% at U.S. supermarkets!

You’ve just had kids and realize you’re going to be spending a lot more time at home. While you’ve used other travel rewards cards in the past, you’re now looking for something that caters to your new life.

With lots of supermarket shopping, plenty of baby clothes to buy, and tons of driving around town, you may find that the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express will be a great choice.

The Ideal Cardholder

You can get 2% cash-back at select U.S. department stores, which is great for buying baby clothes. The 2% category also covers U.S. gas stations, and you’ll get 3% cash-back at U.S. supermarkets!

The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express Bonus and Earnings Categories

Applying for the card earns a great welcome bonus as mentioned in the above summary table; simply spend the amount required in order to collect the full bonus!

On top of this, the card earns cash-back for purchases in the U.S. You’ll earn 3% back at U.S. supermarkets, 2% back at U.S. gas stations and select U.S. department stores, and 1% on all other purchases.

Unlike it’s upgraded version, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, this card has no annual fee.

Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express Benefits

The card is great for typical stay-at-home types who don’t really travel. With cash-back at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. department stores, the card covers big categories for families.

There is a $6,000 limit on the U.S. supermarket category, but after that it still earns 1% cash-back. This means it tops out at $180 cash-back in supermarkets each year, but that’s definitely worthwhile.

No limit is put on the gas stations category, but there are only select department stores that count. These include Kohl’s, JC Penney, Macy’s, Bloomingdales, and more.

All the cash-back you earn will accrue in your account to be used at any time; the only stipulation is that it has to be in increments of $25.

Card Insurances and Fringe Benefits

While the cash-back is nice, the card also boasts a few additional fringe benefits. Firstly, you can get free additional cards if you need them.

For travel occasions, you will have car rental insurance if you decline the rental agency’s waiver, and you’ll also have a roadside assistance hotline in case of emergency.

Also in case of an emergency is the global assist hotline, which can be used around the world to help in cases where you may need some assistance you can’t find elsewhere.

The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express also comes with travel accident insurance that covers you in any worst case scenario.

For purchases, you’ll get purchase and return protection as well as an extended warranty service. These are helpful when you need them if a product isn’t covered by the vendor.

Drawbacks of Using the Card

One of the biggest drawbacks is that if you do decide to travel, you will want to stay domestically. The card has a 2.7% foreign transaction fee, and the cash-back is only good inside the U.S.

If you’ll really utilize the 3% supermarket cash-back, it may be disappointing to find that this benefit runs out after the first $6,000.

In this case, you may want to consider upgrading to the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express to get a bigger bang for your buck.

Final Thoughts: A Summary of the Card

A great card with no annual fee for those who are just starting out with credit card rewards. With 2-3% cash-back bonus categories, you’ll easily make a return on the card.

While it doesn’t come with much else, you do get some insurances that are a nice to have when you need them.

All in all, the card doesn’t really have a downside, so it’s worth checking out the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express!

Great Card If

You spend frequently at U.S. gas stations, supermarkets, and select department stores, but don’t have a large yearly spend

You spend frequently on travel and can earn the full welcome bonus

Don't Get If

You don’t utilize the bonus categories frequently

You need a card with no foreign transaction fees

You want a card that earns travel rewards

Card Fees

Annual Fee

$0

Foreign Transaction Fees

2.7% of each transaction after conversion to U.S. dollars

Interest Rates

0% on Purchases for 15 months

Ongoing APR: 14.99%-25.99% Variable

Late fees ?

29.99% Variable

Balance Transfers

0% on Balance Transfers for 15 months

Ongoing APR: 14.99%-25.99% Variable

Cash Advance APR

27.24% Variable

U.P. Pro Tips

Be sure to spend as much as you can on the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express at U.S. supermarkets to earn the 3% cash-back! If you can’t spend it all in groceries, try purchasing things like gift cards and other goods.

If you do purchase gift cards, you may be able to utilize them for places where you would typically only get 1-2% cash-back, which helps you earn that much more!

Groceries aren’t the only things you can get for 3% cash-back. You can buy gift cards or any items you may normally buy somewhere else and get the 3% cash-back…as long as it’s sold in the supermarket!

Best Way To Maximize Points

Being a cash-back card, there are only so many ways to maximize your rewards using the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express.

Certainly, you will need to use this card as much as you can in the rewards categories of U.S. gas stations, supermarkets, and select department stores.

It may make sense to purchase things you’d normally buy elsewhere at these places in order to maximize cash-back. However don’t go out of your way or make purchases that will cost more just to do it!

With only a 1%-2% difference, the margins are small and you probably won’t come out ahead.

You may be able to get 2% cash-back inside of certain convenience stores like 7-Eleven if they also have a gas station, so use your card smartly.

You can maximize cash-back by shopping in the convenience stores attached to the gas station if you need a snack!

Best Way To Redeem Points

You can only redeem cash-back from your card for statement credit, and only in increments of $25. Therefore, just be sure to plan ahead and redeem at this amount.

There are no additional partners with this card.

The Gritty Details: Everything Else You Need To Know

American Express has started restricting their card bonuses to one bonus per card per lifetime, so this is a great time to get in on the welcome bonus.

The cash-back bonus categories are only good for businesses within the U.S., so if you’re traveling abroad you won’t get any cash-back. Overseas use is not recommended for this card anyway since it has a 2.7% foreign transaction fee.

Other Unique Features

The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express comes with a few extra features on top of its bonus categories, which you can learn more about here.

Roadside assistance – Like a AAA service, you can call to get a tow and locksmith 24 hours a day. You will have to pay a fee for the services, though the hotline itself is provided complimentary by AMEX.

Car rental loss and damage insurance – By denying the rental car waiver, you will have access to car rental insurance up to $50k.

Global assist hotline – You’ll have access to a hotline to call in case of an emergency overseas, like if you need someone who speaks your language to deal with a problem.

The hotline is free, but any third party services they contract will cost you money.

Entertainment access – AMEX pre-buys tickets to events so you can have exclusive access through them. You can find normal concert tickets and even some VIP experiences.

Extended warranty – This benefit extends the warranty of anything purchased with the card by up to one year after the manufacturer’s warranty ends.

Travel accident insurance – For any major accidents on common carriers, you will be covered for major medical expenses and other costs.

ShopRunner – ShopRunner gives you free shipping on a number of online retailers. This is the non-Amazon version of Prime.

Purchase Protection – If you purchase an item using your card and it is stolen or broken, then you can get up to $1,000 back for the item.

Return Protection – You have 90 days of coverage from the date of your purchase with this benefit, allowing you to get money back for something you can no longer return to the store.

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FAQ

Why get a Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express? Is it worth it?

The card is great for the stay-at-home type who frequently shops around town. With no annual fee, you will earn 1-3% cash-back on purchases in many categories.

U.S. Supermarkets will get you 3% cash-back, but know that this is only good for the first $6,000 in spending each year. U.S. gas stations and select U.S. department stores earn 2% cash-back, with 1% everywhere else.

You’ll also get to take advantage of some additional fringe insurance benefits, adding even more value to the card if you are in need.

Using the card at all will add value to your card collection, but this card actually has the potential to earn hundreds of dollars in cash-back each year!

What are the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express benefits?

The card earns 1-3% cash-back between U.S. supermarkets, gas stations, and select department stores. Cash-back can only be redeemed in $25 increments, but overall earning is unlimited.

Some insurance benefits are also included with the card: rental car and travel accident insurances, roadside assistance and global assist hotlines, and purchase and return protection.

You’ll also get an extended warranty on select items.

Does the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express use Membership Rewards?

When does Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express cash-back expire?

You will never lose cash-back earned with your card unless your account is closed.

When does cash-back post to your account with the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express?

Cash-back will be added to your total at the end of each billing period.

Is there a foreign transaction fee on the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express?

Yes, the card has a 2.7% foreign transaction fee. Note that if used overseas, you will not earn any extra cash-back from the bonus categories.

What is the APR on the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express?

Please refer to the rates & fees of this card for up-to-date APR information.

How do you redeem Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express rewards?

Log in to your card at AmericanExpress.com and select this card if it is not the default (if you have more than one AMEX card). You will see the cash-back summary just below the main menus.

Click “Redeem” and follow the steps. Cash-back can only be redeemed in increments of $25 at a time.

Which is better, the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express or Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express?

This will depend on how much you spend in a given year. You can view the Card Math sections for each card to get an idea.

A rule of thumb is that if you will max out the $6,000 U.S. supermarket spend, you will make enough in cash-back to justify the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express.

At 6% cash-back, this will be worth $360 versus the $180 with the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express.

For higher spenders at U.S. gas stations and the select U.S. department stores, you will also likely see a larger return with the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express despite the $95 annual fee.

What is the grace period for late payments on the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express?

Brian's first ever airplane ride was in a private turbo-prop jet. He was merely an intern boy trying to make a good impression, but it turns out the plane made an impression on him. It wasn't until Brian relocated to Dallas, TX, and moved in with an American Airlines employee that he truly discovered how incredible travel could be.

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